FierroChase A Camping Trip
by Ilovereadingsomuch
Summary: [FierroChase] A few weeks after opening the Chase Space, Magnus and Alex take some time to go camping in the Appalachian Mountains for the weekend.
1. Chapter 1

FierroChase – A Camping Trip

 *****SPOILERS: This entire story contains spoilers from all of the Magnus Chase series. Just a fair warning.**

 *****Disclaimer: Rick Riordan and his affiliation own the rights to the Magnus Chase series and its characters. I just write this for fun. Muwahaha!**

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Chapter 1

 _Wow,_ Magnus thought, listening to Alex complain. _Alex really isn't having a swell time. That kind of surprises me considering what quests we've had to go through._

"They will just _not_ stay off of me. And why does it have to be one hundred degrees out here?"

They were making their way up the steep trail of the mountain, Magnus some feet ahead of Alex. Alex was swatting at his arms to get the mosquitos off, sweat stains forming at the armpits of his light pink short-sleeve, button-up shirt. What made the outfit complete were the lime green golf shorts, the hiking boots with matching green laces, and pink-and-green checkered sunglasses. He had his normal green hair, except it had been recently trimmed and dyed since they got back from their quest. Now it was a bit shorter with bangs not quite reaching his eyes and only an inch of his natural dark hair could be seen at the roots.

 _Yep, I've really never heard him complain this much_ , Magnus thought again before replying. He stopped to let Alex catch up. He examined the trail ahead and looked at the time on his watch, 4:26 p.m. His outfit was made up of khaki cargo shorts, a dark green plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves, a white undershirt, and regular-colored hiking boots. He had done the opposite with his hair, letting it grow out instead of having Alex cut it. It was just long enough to be pulled back with a hair tie, which is how it was now because it _was_ hot outside. Magnus could just endure it more, being the son of the summer-god and all.

"Sorry," he replied. "We could have come when it was still cool in the morning, but I really had to catch up with Blitz and Hearth at the manor."

Alex walked up to stand next to Magnus, noticing his dry forehead. _What? He hasn't even broken a sweat yet?! Regardless of his dad, we've been at this for two hours now, and you'd think he would be somewhat perspired._

Ignoring his thoughts, Alex asked, "What was that about anyway? It's not like they don't know what they're doing. I mean, they helped to open the place, and that was weeks ago."

"Uh... I-It was nothing. Well, it was obviously important to do today. Just had to sort out some bills and paper work. Nothing fun," Magnus rattled out quickly, seemingly embarrassed. "Ah-hem, anyway. We are almost there. It's just about a third of a mile ahead."

"Oh-kay. If ya' say so, Maggie."

Magnus let the nickname slide. They continued up the path until they reached a viewing area of the mountains and forest around them.

"Wow. Now that is something I'll never get used to," Magnus exclaimed, letting out a small, content sigh. They both watched the nature ahead of them, standing next to each other in silence for a few minutes.

Alex looked over at Magnus, smiling along with his smile and his content, grey-eyed gaze. "You know you're glowing, right?"

"What, really?" Magnus jerked out of his stare to check the back of his hands and arms.

"Ha, not like that. I mean you just look so relaxed and happy. It's a different look for you than what I'm used to."

"Uh, thanks?"

"I get it, though. After all we've been through, all that stress and anxiety that was built up. It's nice to live without it, even just for a moment. I almost feel… not dead. Not normal, though. Yuck." Alex stuck his tongue out, making a sour expression. "I wouldn't want to be that."

This made Magnus chuckle. "Yeah, this is really nice. I haven't been on a non-life-threatening hike like this since before I died. Actually…" His grin faded, his gaze now lost in memories.

Alex looked at Magnus, concerned about what he was thinking. Alex knew all about not wanting to share personal information, so he didn't prompt Magnus. After a few seconds, though, he broke the silence.

"Same here. But we should probably continue on before it gets dark so we can set up the tent."

"Yeah," Magnus said zoning back into reality, "the site is just a few more feet ahead. And it's only 5:07. We have plenty of time. The only thing to slow us down would be your complaining." Magnus smirked, proud of his joke and out of his daze.

"Hey! You've seen me on _two_ different, heroic quests. We both know I can hold my own on a simple hike, Maggie."

"Enough with the Maggie!" He replied light-heartedly. "That brings up a good question, though. Which would you prefer? This hot, nice, supposedly one-hundred-degree summer weather, or the Niflheim cold?"

"That's like asking if I prefer just to suffer over actually dying."

"So, you admit it! You are suffering."

"Wha-, no. I'm fine! Geez." Alex jokingly huffed as he stomped ahead of Magnus, both of them baring smiles.

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 **A/N: I don't want to leave too many of these here. But, please, if anything seems weird about my wording or story, I'll accept the criticism!**

 **( side note: cookiecreations picture of Alex and Magnus hiking inspired me to write this)**

 **I'm really excited to get this story out! It helped me a lot with my emotions. So much more good stuff is to come in the next chapters! Disfruten!**


	2. Chapter 2

*****SPOILERS: This entire story contains spoilers from all of the Magnus Chase series. Just a fair warning.**

Chapter 2

"Are you sure this is the right direction, Chase? We are kind of having to do some bush-whacking here." Alex complained, yet again, while pushing tall grass and vines away from the path. Small scratches formed on his arms from the burrs and sharp plants, right next to the mosquito bites.

"Have a little faith in me, while you, Fierro?" Magnus led the way, barely getting a scratch on him.

"It's just that I didn't expect the campsite to be so far into the woods."

"Well, then it wouldn't be a true nature experience, would it? Plus, we're already here. I told you it wasn't far."

"We must have different definitions of fa-," Alex got caught off when he stepped into the clearing. It was just big enough for a two-person tent, a campfire ring, and space to lay out and relax. A near-perfect circle of trees enclosed the short plush grass, almost as if this area was man-made and tended to, but instead it felt natural. It was in fact a great spot for a true nature experience.

"It's nice to be on the other end of the gawping-expression spectrum," Magnus remarked.

He set down his pack and pulled out the tent. Alex squatted down next to him, grabbing some poles and hooking them together. They were the kind of poles that were already tethered together, just to make things easier.

"Huh, this isn't so bad. The people I camped with before I died didn't have tents, so we just strung up a fort with blankets and twigs. This'll be a lot nicer. But I thought these things were supposed to be difficult to put together."

"Not really, you just hook the poles together, stick them into the corner hooks, and use the hooks on the top to lift the tent up. See? This end goes at this corner, and you can get the one on the other side."

Alex grabbed onto the pole, pushing it down and back to reach the hook, when suddenly the tension was let free and it snapped back at him and whacked right above his left eye, knocking off his sunglasses.

"OW!" Alex covered his eyes with his hands, cradling his face.

"Are you okay?" Magnus rushed to his side. Being a healer, it was second-nature for him to do so, but he did genuinely want to make sure Alex was okay.

"Geez, I had it in there. I don't know why that happened." He uncovered his face, his left eye tearing-up and squinting because of the impact. The red veins appearing in the white of the eye really made the pale amber color stand out, especially in contrast to the right eye's dark brown.

 _I'll never get over those pretty eyes,_ Magnus thought, quickly chiding himself for blushing.

Magnus inspected the damage. The sharp end of the tent pole left a superficial scratch up to the eyebrow, a bruise already forming.

"Stop smirking," Alex retorted. "It's embarrassing."

"I'm not smirking." Magnus's heart warmed a little realizing that Alex would actually admit to being embarrassed in front of him. "It's nothing bad. It just might get a bit bruised and you probably don't want to spend a camping weekend with a black-eye. Here," Magnus reached his hand out to touch Alex's face and heal the wound. Instinctively, Alex flinched back.

"It's okay, Alex. I'm not going to see any memories if it's a small wound." Magnus waited for approval this time. Only later would he reconsider if Alex flinched because he didn't want to share memories or if being touched after a black eye brought back bad recollections of the past.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Go ahead." Alex sat up straighter and Magnus's hand cupped the side of his face.

Even though it was a hot day, they could both feel the warmth of Magnus's power flow through them. Magnus remembered the light scratches on Alex's arms from the plants, so he made sure the power healed them to, even though it tends to heal everything at once anyway. It took only a few seconds, but they both stared at each other in the meantime. Magnus loved to look at those heterochromia eyes, the daylight tended to make them more contrasted.

"See? All back to normal. Well, as normal as your face can get. Take that how you want it." Magnus smirked, just like he does when he thinks he cracked a good joke. He pulled his hand back and turned to finish setting up the tent.

Alex sat for a split second longer to let heartbeats slow down and to stop inwardly blushing. _Don't blush, don't blush, don't blush,_ was all Alex could think through that experience. _Snap out of it before you seem awestruck and he wins._ He stood up.

"Yeah, I'll just let you finish with that. And I take it as a compliment. Normal, yuck." Alex said, again sticking his tongue out at the end.

A few minutes later, Magnus had finished with the tent and Alex had gotten dinner ready. Their dinner consisted of pre-made peanut butter and honey sandwiches, courtesy of Samirah.

"I have to be honest," Magnus started. "I had forgotten about bringing food. I'm so used to having it provided or, when on a quest, just trying to stay alive."

"Yeah, and it was crazy awesome how Sam was fasting the entire quest. When I would think about her, it gave me some motivation to keep going because I didn't want to look like a whiny baby." Alex ate the crust of the sandwich first before moving into the middle.

"Same here."

"But Magnus, you were a whiny baby. Or correction. You _are_ a whiny baby."

"Oh, shut up." Alex laughed as Magnus pretended to be mad.

"Okay so, what are we going to do now? Explore until the sun sets or just chill here?" The sun had just reached the horizon in the west, mostly hidden by the trees, making it darker than it should be in the clearing.

"Good question," Magnus replied. "Well, we could go walk down the path just there, but you probably wouldn't like to have to walk through all those plants again." Magnus pointed at a side of the clearing, opposite of the side they came in from. Alex didn't see any path, just a bunch of trees and bushes.

"What path? It's just a bunch of trees. How do you even know it's there?"

"By memory, I guess. And I can feel it somehow. Also, there's a squirrel over there warning us to stay away from his nuts." Suddenly, they could hear a squeaking noise coming out of the trees and the rustle of tree branches shaking. "Maybe we should just stay here for the rest of the night. It's dark inside the forest and we can hike tomorrow."

"Fine with me. How's the whole animal-listening ability anyway? Are they annoying you?"

"It's not too bad, actually. I've learned to tune them out, just like Halfborn and Mallory's bickering."

"Good," Alex said dusting sandwich crumbs off his hands then standing up. "Nature calls. I'll try not to get lost. Also, don't follow me, Magnus, no matter how tempted you are."

"Wha-, I'm not. Why would I want to do that? Gross." Magnus's face flushed with red as Alex walked off, smirking.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

By the time they were both settled and all necessities were taken care of, the sun was completely set. Only the west horizon was still lit behind the trees, coloring the sky pink, and causing an orange glint in the tree leaves. They had changed into pajamas, each taking a turn in the tent, which consisted of matching white t-shirts and gray shorts. Magnus found it weird to see no flare of color in Alex's clothes.

When he was finished, Magnus pulled his sleeping bag out of the tent, spread it on the grass, and laid back to watch the stars appear. Alex did the same, except sitting up.

"These views are really great and all, but I feel like I should be doing something. It feels wrong to have so much time and not be rushed off to the next place to fight the next monster. Or to have to fight your neighbor to the death," Alex said.

"Alex, be honest. Are you having a good time?" Magnus looked at him.

"Yeah, definitely. Connecting with nature like this makes me feel like all is right with the world. It's peaceful, that's why I used to camp with friends when I was alive," Alex finished sincerely.

"Thank you for coming with me. I think I've been putting this off, not just because of the quest." Magnus was staring up at the sky. "It brings back hard memories," he started softly, his voice hoarse.

Alex knew it wouldn't be polite to press him on, but keeping emotions pent up can be scarring, and after all they've been through, Alex could understand Magnus's emotions.

"Of your mother?" Alex asked softly.

"Yeah, I realized earlier this is my first hike since my mom died, and it's the first that I've been on without her. But I can feel her all around because this was what she loved, it was her personality. She would smile up at the trees, laugh at the squirrels and bugs." Magnus's lower lip quivered and he bit it. "She was really a great person."

He choked out those words, holding back sobs. Tears fell involuntarily from his eyes, he squeezed them shut and turned away from Alex.

"Magnus," Alex gently put his arms around Magnus's shoulders, lying next to him and hugging him from behind. "I'm here for you, with you. You can let it out, if you want. It will make you feel better."

Magnus's torso was shaking in Alex's arms. He let out a few sobs, causing Alex to sympathize and start to tear up. Magnus turned towards Alex, his eyes red and puffy. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag you out here just to ruin the mood."

Alex wiped off Magnus's wet cheeks. "Don't apologize. I understand," he said. "You've barely had any time to grieve. Having to survive on your own out on the streets, then thrown into a new world and a life-threatening quest. Just know that I am here for you. Anytime, anywhere."

"Thanks." He formed a smile.

"Also, the healer needs some love and attention sometimes, too."

This got Magnus to chuckle. They laid together, holding each other for a while, a few extra tears running down Magnus's cheeks.

"Magnus, I want you to know that I'm not afraid of you seeing my memories anymore. And I'm not just giving you permission to save my life. I mean that I don't mind sharing my life with you. Past or present, I want you to know." Alex's serious expression showed all the honesty in his words.

Magnus felt humbled, again, that Alex was letting him into his life. "Like you told me, I'm here for you. Anything you want to share, you can trust me to keep it secret. I respect you, and admire you, Alex Fierro."

Alex's face light up red, a grin spreading across his cheeks. "We'll be spending eternity together anyway. It'll be hard to keep secrets."

"That is so freaky to think about."

"What? Do you have dirty little secrets you don't want to share?" Alex sneered at Magnus.

"Of course not, my life is an open box." _Mostly,_ Magnus thought, thinking about when he met with Blitz and Hearth at the manor. That was something he did _not_ want to share with Alex. "I was talking about eternity. It's unimaginable. And, still, we don't have to stay as long as the people that arrived before us." Magnus yawned. There was a gap of silence as they sat thinking.

Finally, Alex sighed. "It's going to be difficult. But we have support from our hall mates. You just can't let it get to you. Find a way to stay active and don't think about the future too much. That's my current plan, at least. I have pottery for now, and it will last me a while, but I've been thinking about joining one of those– "

Magnus's snore interrupted him. It wasn't a loud snore, but enough to know that he was already in a deep sleep. Alex studied his face. For the past few months, it had been gaunt from stress. Now, without anything to worry about, he looked healthier. Hiking during the summer was probably also rejuvenating for him. His cheekbones still stood out, his dark blond eyelashes were soft blankets covering his lower eyelids, his nude pink lips separated by a hair, and that cute button nose! Alex quickly looked away, that warm, fuzzy feeling started to creep through his chest. Not that it was a bad feeling, it was just odd to keep looking at Magnus while he was unaware.

Alex stood up. _Well, I'm sleeping in the tent, at least._ _I didn't get smacked in the face for nothing._ He scooted the sleeping bag back inside, checking on Magnus one last time to make sure he was okay outside by himself. _He's the son of the summer god. If anything, the squirrels should be bowing to him. And he has slept outside alone before, in more dangerous situations. He'll be fine._ After reassuring himself, Alex curled up on the sleeping bag and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Alex woke up feeling groggy. He slowly opened his eyes, staring at the sunlight shining through the tent. _It's already that bright?_

He remembered Magnus had fallen asleep outside, so he unzipped the tent to check on him. Magnus's sleeping bag was laying open in the same spot as if slept on. However, the boy himself was not in it. Alex stepped outside and looked around the clearing, expecting to see a blond head. Magnus wasn't there. _Magnus isn't here!_ Alex reiterated in his head. _Okay, well, don't overreact. Maybe he just went to pee._

He decided to get dressed for the day, thinking that Magnus would come back by the time he was finished. Donning his pink shirt and green shorts, he stepped back outside to find that Magnus still hadn't returned. _That is definitely freaky. Where did he go? Where could he be?_

Alex started to walk around the clearing, looking for a note or clue or sign that he left behind. But there was no luck. He started to walk circles around the campsite, 10 or maybe 20 before he gave up waiting. _Maybe he went down there, then got attacked by the squirrel,_ Alex thought, walking up to the path Magnus wanted to take yesterday. He started through the bushes, then took off at a run. The path sloped downward, getting steeper and steeper almost with every step. Whacking through bushes and jumping over rocks, he felt like he'd run five miles already, but nobody was in sight. _He must've not come this way. What happened to him?_

"MAGNUS!" Alex screamed at the top of his lungs, still darting down the mountain path. A loud buzz sounded in his ear. BZZZZZ! It must have been a bee, he thought in the back of his mind. The sound zipped past and he kept running. Suddenly, his foot jammed into a rock, twisting his ankle and sending him rolling down the steep mountain. He just had time to see the cliff ahead while he tumbled, before he rolled of the edge and woke up.

"Alex, wake up!" Magnus poked his torso through tent opening. Alex bolted upright, shaking from the anxiety of his dream and the near-death experience of rolling off a cliff.

"It was just a bad dream. I'm here." Magnus crawled the rest of the way inside the tent, sitting next to Alex. He was wearing blue jeans, a gray t-shirt, and the same green plaid jacket. His hair was let loose around his face.

"Yeah, I see that. Thanks for the wake-up call." Alex tried to seem cool and steady his breathing.

"I guess I was just a little worried," Magnus admitted. "You called my name."

"Oh, right. In my dream, you had disappeared and I went looking for you. Then I rolled off a cliff. Fun times."

"Wow, sounds dramatic." They sat in a silence for a couple of seconds, neither one of them knowing what to say about Alex dreaming of Magnus and being super worried.

"Well," Magnus finally said, "I made breakfast. You want some scrambled eggs?"

"Sure, just let me get dressed first." Alex grabbed his bag and started rummaging through it. Magnus stayed seated in the tent as if in a stare. "Well? Get out, doofus, I'm not going to do it with you in here!" Alex started throwing his shirts at him.

"Wait, no that wasn't why-"A shirt got caught in his mouth. "Ppffft, that wasn't even what I was trying to do... "His voice trailed off as he scrambled out, just rambles and mumbles about how he wasn't trying to see Alex undressed.

When Alex was finished, he walked out of the tent, donning skinny blue jeans, and a pink and green plaid shirt.

"Here you go, one green-hair friendly meal." Magnus handed Alex a plate.

"Ha, ha. Real cute." Alex said sarcastically, sitting himself down on a blanket that Magnus had laid out in the grass.

"I know you think I am." Magnus mumbled under his breath in response.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking I need to stretch before our hike," Magnus grabbed his own plate and started eating.

Alex finished eating and started to gather his gear, subconsciously humming the tune to "Summer Nights" from _Grease_. Magnus found this amusing.

"Where are we off to now?" Alex asked when they were both packed up and ready to go.

"Well, we're going to want to start heading back to the primary trail. From there, we can veer off onto secondary ones but still be able to head down the mountain range back to the city. It's 8:30 right now, so we should make it back before lunch, hopefully at 11:30."

He looked at a smiling Alex, who said, "Sounds like a plan."

Magnus smiled back. _This is going to be a good day._

 **A/N: I'm so sorry about the looooong wait, peeps! School hit me in the rear end for a while there and I blanked on what more I could write, but I finally got an idea and really wanted to at least finish and publish this chapter. I have maybe one or two more before I'll end the story. Two is kind of pushing it but we'll see. I hope you enjoy c:**

 **P.S. Feel free to send reviews and critiques!**

 **EDIT: Hi again, and sorry again for the hiatus. It's always about school and life, lol. But I'm super into this story again so I'll start writing real soon, also I'll finish this as a celebration for Uncle Rick's NEW MAGNUS CHASE SHORT STORIES coming in October WOO! I love this series so much, and Fierrochase is so cute u. I'm excited! See ya!**

 **EDIT II: Chapter 5 is up so continue on!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ouch… ouch... ow… not again…" Alex stumbled along, mumbling monotone, bored remarks about getting hit by rough bushes as they made their way back to the primary hiking trail. "I think this path magically got longer than it was yesterday."

 _Here we go,_ Magnus thought. _Back to the complaints._

"We. Are. Almost. There. " Magnus grunted. "If you keep up anymore of this whining, I'm never taking you anywhere ever again."

"Well, I wouldn't be complaining if you didn't take us down the narrowest, spikiest path of this whole forest."

Magnus stopped, turned to face Alex. "Can you please just enjoy this with me? When we get back to the hotel later, you can make me do whatever you want without any complaints from me."

"Ooh, Magnus did you just imply something?" Alex smirked. "I accept, my mouth is shut. I was just kidding anyways." He huffed a laugh, crossing his arms into his cocky-Alex stance.

"Th-that's not what I meant," Magnus's face turned red, though his outward appearance contrasted his inner feelings. _I wouldn't mind a little Alex time in bed, though,_ he said to himself. "Come on, we're nearly there."

Magnus turned to continue walking. Suddenly, he felt hands on his shoulders. Alex pulled him close and wrapped his arms around his neck, then whispered in his ear.

"We both know what we want Magnus," Alex's breath warmed Magnus's skin, making his neck tingle and his body shiver, despite the warm summer morning. "We can't fake this much longer." He pressed his lips against Magnus's ear, a soft kiss that left his heading exploding.

Magnus's body felt like it had imploded. He stood there, stunned at the unexpected affection. He looked at Alex who was smiling warmly. "I never want to fake anything with you," he replied.

This time, Magnus made the move. He cupped Alex's face and pulled into a passionate kiss. Alex squeezed him back, rubbing his hands through Magnus's hair. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but for both of them, it was an eternity. They pulled their heads back, still holding on to each other.

"Woah," Alex exhaled.

"Yeah," Magnus huffed.

Alex started to chuckle. "What an odd place to feel so… good." They stood amidst scraggly tree branches with bugs flying about and sweat trickling down their backs.

Magnus responded. "Anywhere is a good place with you, even the middle of Niflheim."

They smiled at each other for a few more seconds, until Alex spoke up. "Come on, I'm melting here and the open air should be cooler."

Magnus turned his back to Alex again, letting out a content sigh. Neither of them could stop smiling.

A few more steps and they made it to the edge of the forest path, the hiking trail and mountain cliff looming in front of them. Magnus checked his watch, 9:00. After that kiss, he suddenly dreaded leaving the privacy of the forest. He wanted more time with Alex, but they did have important things to do at the manor that afternoon and he had to meet with Samirah. He turned to Alex, taking in his colorful clothing and personality. He contentedly smiled as Alex walked up.

"What?" Alex asked, bearing a shy grin at Magnus for staring.

"Nothing, I'm just waiting for you to catch up," he replied, still grinning.

"I wasn't that far back," Alex walked past Magnus onto the trail, his confidence growing again. "Watching me as I walk up," he mumbled sarcastically.

Alex walked out to the middle of the path, looked both ways, then faced downhill. "Well," he started. "Things to do, places to be." Then he started down the mountain.

"Ah geez. Just enjoy the nature, will you?" Magnus took off after him.

"I am, just in a timely manner. Look, there are some cute birds! See?"

"Yeah, and they're wondering why some green-headed knob is pointing at them." Magnus retorted.

Alex walked up to Magnus to punch his shoulder.

"Ow," Magnus pouted, garnering fake sympathy "boo-hoo"s from Alex.

They trekked down the mountain playing around like this until reaching the scenic turnout again. The area was large, grassy, and flat; a perfect place for large groups to lay out blankets and lounge about comfortably. Like yesterday, it was void of any other hikers.

"We're back here," Alex walked up to the cliff edge and got another view of the landscape. "It's just as pretty as yesterday."

"That's for sure."

They sat down to take a break, drinking some water and snacking on trail mix, courtesy of Samirah again.

The sat and listened to the nature ambience around them, until suddenly a human shout filled the air. They both stood and turned to the trail, still no one was there.

"What was that?" Magnus asked.

"Good question."

As if in response, five teenage boys appeared on the trail, not having noticed Magnus or Alex yet.

"Oh great, it looks like we have some bad boys in our midst." Alex noted.

Magnus agreed. The boys looked like hoodlums pushing each other around, drinking beer, and being loud. As they walked closer, they finally saw Magnus and Alex.

"Hey, yo, look. Got some fools on our land." One of them said.

"Yo, what ya doing hanging out here. This is our domain, and ain't nobody gon take it over." The boy standing in front, most likely the leader of the gang, crushed and threw down a beer can.

This irritated Magnus to no end. He stepped up to face the kid. The bunch looked older, but Magnus didn't care. He'd faced worse challenges. "First of all, you don't own anything out here. Second, don't contaminate this _public_ land with your filthy trash."

"Bro, is that a challenge? Bad idea, you ain't seen nothin like me."

"Try me."

The leader kid threw a punch, but Magnus's einherji instincts kicked in. He dodged, caught the leader's arm, then slammed him in the gut. Now, Magnus isn't much a fighter, but the summery forest, his irritation, and hotel training helped him. The kid staggered back, clutching his stomach. The four behind him stepped up, trying to show strength in number. "Oh, you've done it now boy." One of them said.

Alex stepped up as well, "Hey! You don't know what you're getting into. Just leave now and we won't have to hurt you."

The leader, now recovered, faced Alex. "Oh yeah? You don't look like much, just some scrawny kid. You two boys out here kissin' each other?"

Magnus was impressed at how far he flew. It must've been 15 yards back. Alex decked him right in the face, sending him on his butt and knocking him out. Now they were both infuriated. The four followers didn't stand a chance. Once Alex and Magnus beat up two of them, they all went running away, dragging the leader as best as possible, disappearing over the side of the mountain.

"UGH!" Alex screamed at the sky.

Magnus looked at him. It was the first time to witness first hand him getting bullied in human-life. And, oh man, Magnus would've knocked them all out himself if Alex didn't act quicker.

Alex walked over to one of the cans the gang threw and chucked it at the path they ran down. He squatted down, putting his face in his hands. Magnus could see his body shaking out of rage. He walked to Alex, knelt down and hugged him. Magnus didn't plan what he was going to say, it all just started pouring out of him.

"Alex, you are my favorite person. I adore you, not because of cute acts, but for your strength and courage. I'm sorry you had to go throw bullying alone before, but I'm here now. I'm here for you, to let you know those people don't matter. They don't know you, they're messed up in the head. But you're not. You're special because you can embrace yourself and show it to the world without fear, despite what you've gone through. I love you for that Alex Fierro."

A sob escaped Alex and he turned to properly hug Magnus, burying his tear-stained cheeks in Magnus's chest, knocking them over to a laying position on the ground.

"Magnus, that was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Alex's voice was hoarse from crying. "Things like that haven't happened in such a long time, I lost my cool."

"They deserve what they got. It teaches them a lesson that you won't conform just because of someone else's wrong opinion. You rightly stood your ground. Also, I would've knocked them all out, but you beat me to it." This made Alex laugh. "What? You don't think I could've beat them up?" Magnus finished.

"Are you kidding? I see you fight every day. You might've just been able to get one punch on the leg." Alex's face was buried in Magnus's chest still while he was talking, but at the end of that sentence he looked up. His eyes were red. He was smiling but Magnus could tell that encounter reopened a wound.

They smiled and stared at each other for a few seconds. Magnus wiped Alex's cheeks.

"Don't let them ruin such a great time. Remember that kiss I gave you earlier?" Magnus tried his best to sound comforting.

"Yes, that was such a great moment. I'm okay, I just forgot how evil some humans can be. After helping so many kids at the manor, you'd think I'd know. But it's been so long since that's happened to me..." his sentence trailed off.

"And sadly, that's probably not going to be the last time. But like I said, you are strong and I love you."

Alex looked at Magnus wide eyed. "That's the second time you've said you loved me."

"Oh," Magnus didn't even realize, the words just flowed out. "Well Alex. It's true, I love you."

"I love you too, Magnus Chase."

They both started laughing.

"I have to be honest, we have been in the weirdest places when expressing our love." Alex admitted.

"That's true. It makes for a good story though. Makes it special." Magnus sat up. "Come on, let's walk this off."

He helped Alex up, but before walking back to their gear, Alex gave Magnus one more hug.

"Thank you."

Before Magnus could reply, Alex let go and turned towards their gear.

 _What just happened?_ Magnus thought, happily.

Now donning their gear, they headed down the trail once again.

"Well," Magnus started, checking his watch. "It's now 9:37 and we have about two more hours back down. We can make it."

"So, do you have anything you're doing tonight?" Alex asked.

"Sam needed me to help her with a school project. That's why she needs me to get back by 2 p.m. And then I'll check up at the manor, then call it a night."

"Ah, okay."

"Why? Do you have plans? You can come help Sam, too, if-"

"Of course I have plans!" Alex snapped. "I'm not a loner. I was just wondering if, later tonight, you wanted…" He paused for a second, debating what to say. "-to come to Pottery 101 with me?"

"Uh, sure. I'll actually try i- I mean my schedule is actually free tonight, so I can come." Magnus answered.

"Awesome! I'm glad you'll finally make it."

Magnus shrugged. "Well, you came here with me, and you know I could use a beginners' lesson in pottery."

Alex laughed. "Yes, you definitely do need one. I cannot wait to see how this plays out! This is going to be hysterical."

"Thanks for at least trying to not laugh at me." Magnus said glumly.

They walked on, continually making jokes back and forth, until they reached the end of their hike.

 **A/N: I DID IT! I had so much fun working on this chapter, although it was a struggle at first to find a way to continue it. Oh my goodness, I hope you like it. I get so many feels when writing about this ship, this OTP, and it helps so much after reading the third book and not getting as much lovey-dovey stuff from it as I want. There will be (at least) another chapter, because I still have some certain things I want to write. ;D**

 **Lastly, I had a hard time writing an insult to Alex that made them beat up the gang. I tried to make it something that would make them mad, but also not too offensive or vulgar. I'm not condoning any offensive, hurtful behavior at all, and I made up for it a lot with what happens afterward ;). Everyone just be nice to each other :C.**

 **ANYWAY, Thanks for reading again! Look forward to the next chapter c;**


	6. Chapter 6

It was now Saturday evening.

Alex and Magnus had gotten back to the hotel safely at noon where they put up gear and took showers. Afterward, Magnus went to help Sam while Alex went to the Chase Space.

Later that evening, Magnus went to check the manor, making sure Hearth and Blitz didn't burn the place down too bad. Maybe also because Magnus already wanted to see Alex again. They were going to meet each other anyway for Pottery 101.

As soon as Magnus walked in, he was greeted by loud music and flashy streamers.

"What the heck is going on?"

"MAGNUS!" A voice screamed his name. It was Blitzen standing on a chair across the room full of partying adolescent kids and a deaf elf dancing like no one was watching. "WELCOME, WE'RE JUST GETTING THE PARTY STARTED!"

Magnus walked over to Blitz, dodging dancers with drinks and tripping on party balloons. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" He inquired.

"JUST TRYING TO HAVE SOME FUN ON A BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY NIGHT! COME ON, LETS GO IN ANOTHER ROOM!"

The trio went upstairs to an empty bedroom, a quieter place to have a conversation even though they'd be using sign language with Hearth.

"So what happened during the trip Magnus? Did our advice come in handy?" Hearth signed.

"Well, the trip was great in many ways. But I haven't used your advice yet. It might actually be useful tonight though. I think Alex is ready." Magnus replied.

For a split second, he got lost in thought, thinking back to the conversation he had with Hearth and Blitz before the camping trip.

 _'No matter what, use protection because being safe is better than being sorry. No. Matter. What. You never know what can happen, and being einherjar, no one really knows what will happen if – '_

 _'Okay, okay, thank you Hearth. Listen Magnus,' Blitz cut in. 'You guys love each other. It's obvious. You'll both have a great time. Once things get going, it'll start to feel natural. And accept Alex's feelings and consent,' He poked Magnus in the chest. 'And accept your own if you really aren't ready.'_

Magnus snapped back to reality.

"Oh gods," he covered his face with his hands.

Hearth uncovered Magnus's eyes, making him listen to his signs. "Everything is going to be fine, seriously. Once you start, you'll lose your anxiety. This party is basically celebrating a new experience of your life Magnus!" Hearth hesitated with a thoughtful look. "Should it be called life?"

Magnus ignored that last question. "That's why you threw this party? What if nothing even happens?"

"Well, a party is a party. They're just fun." Blitz's face got serious. "Just be happy Magnus. Do what makes you happy."

Magnus smiled, grateful for the advice from his friends. "Thanks guys."

They walked out to rejoin the party. Magnus looked around for Alex because it was almost time for the pottery class. He found him sitting on a couch, talking with a girl.

"Alex, I'm glad I found you! Pottery class starts soon if you still want to go." He still had to talk loud enough to be heard over the music.

Before Alex could reply, the girl spoke up. "Pottery class? That sounds fun, where is it at?"

"Uuh–" Alex came up with an answer before Magnus could.

"It's just down the street a ways. A small little place. But you're right, Magnus, we need to get going. The party's been fun. I'm glad I got to know you better, Em. Bye!"

They walked outside after saying bye to Hearth and Blitz, who each gave a very conspicuous wink at Magnus in front of Alex. He waved back, embarrassedly.

The sun was starting to set, but it was still warm. The couple walked side by side, headed to the secret entrance of the hotel. The closest one was next to a picket fence and a garden gnome safeguarding a house. How the entrances came to be and how they were found were beyond Magnus. They got into the hotel and headed straight for Pottery 101.

The class lasted for about two hours. Alex could tell that Magnus was trying his best to follow the instructions and make a simple, pretty, and functional bowl. His face was set in concentration, he would often humph when something failed, and he was nearly covered head-to-toe with clay.

In the end, his bowl didn't quite turn out so pretty or functional. But Alex was so amused and happy that Magnus tried out one of his passions. And he had to admit it was hilarious to hear Magnus use simple pottery jargon.

"Ugh, this glaze is not spreading smooth enough. I'm afraid the clay will heat up faster and it will crack." He huffed, again, and dropped his brush onto the table.

Alex got up from his table. He leaned over Magnus, inspecting the lopsided, flat bowl.

"Hmm," he grabbed the brush and put it in Magnus's hand, then used his own hand to guide Magnus. "If you just brush over the glaze slowly, it'll cover more area and smooth out. Next time though, try starting with less so that it doesn't clump together."

Alex, still holding his hand, looked at Magnus whose face was pink and he was trying to subdue a smile. _Of course, he's blushing with me close by and holding his hand,_ Alex thought amusedly.

"You _are_ coming again, right?" Alex continued.

"Yeah, of course. I have to get this down, or else not being able to do it right will kill me." He paused. "Huh. Is that why they call it Pottery 101 to the death?"

"Maybe so, Maggie. That's one of artists' major peeves: perfection."

Magnus inspected Alex's work as he walked back to his own pottery wheel. He saw a symmetrical, tall hourglass shaped hollow vase with a glaze of contrasting colors, like purple and orange, yet it somehow was appealing to the eye.

Magnus was amazed. "Woah. You did a great job at making that shape so symmetrical. And the colors are actually mesmerizing to look at."

That made Alex smile. "You think so? I've been having trouble with the symmetry so I've been working on that. I still think the bottom is a bit skinnier and taller than the top. But I'm close to getting it right. Just need more practice."

"Tell me 'bout it. I can barely make a functional bowl."

"Hey, it's your first piece. You should be proud!"

"I am. I guess I thought it would be easier, though."

"Ha, right!" Alex set his vase on a shelf. "Okay Magnus, put up your bowl. We can come get these when they're set and dry." He turned to Magnus's wheel. "And clean up that horrendous mess of a pottery wheel. Yikes."

After cleaning up, they walked together to floor 19. They stopped next to their rooms. Magnus got nervous, wanting to invite Alex in. He thought back to what Blitz said, _do what makes you happy_.

They started talking at the same time.

"Mag-"

"Al-"

"You first, Magnus."

"Alex." He took a deep breath. "Do you want to join me in my room?"

Alex chuckled.

Magnus face palmed.

"Gah, that came out weird. This is dumb, never mi-"

Alex kissed Magnus and pushed him against his door. Still kissing, Magnus opened his door and they went in.

"Wai-, wait, I have to make sure." Magnus pulled back. "Are you ready for this Alex?"

"Yes, Magnus. I really am." Alex pulled back further, looking concerned. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, just nervous." He smiled and laughed. Alex did the same.

"Then let's just do it."

"I need to wash off all this clay, though."

"Me too." Alex smirked.

Then something magical happened. But it was nothing that required rune-stones or enchantments.

Alex

Took

Off

His

Shirt.

Magnus's head exploded.

"Woah..."

Alex started to lift up Magnus's shirt. "Your turn. You can't leave me hanging."

Hands on skin made Magnus's stomach tingle as his shirt came off. Magnus has always been a bit self-conscious about his looks, but having inherited abs and some other muscle when becoming an einherji made this a better experience.

Alex seemed to be perfectly fine with all this closeness, but Magnus was more hesitant when touching Alex's body, and he still hadn't touched him and he didn't want to cross boundaries.

First, Magnus just put his hands on Alex's arms. Alex's thin frame was also toned with muscle thanks to Valhalla's magic, but Magnus could really tell just how petite Alex was without clothes on.

Alex continued to move his hands across Magnus's torso, generating electric tendrils that spread throughout his body.

Having kissed Alex already, Magnus felt more comfortable with his hands cupping Alex's face. He slid his own hands up to Alex's chin, and they kissed again.

When his lungs begged for air, Magnus took in a deep breath, let it out and said "I can't take any more of this. My brain has already exploded and I think my body is melting."

Alex pushed Magnus towards the bathroom. "Then get in there and wash off that clay. I'll be waiting."

Alex closed the door, leaving Magnus alone in a stupor. "why does Alex have to be so sexy?" He asked the universe.

While he showered, he prepared himself for what was to come.

—

He finished toweling his hair, letting the rest of it air dry. He didn't bother to put a shirt or pants on because he knew they'd just be coming right back off, but he was donning his best pair of boxers. His anxiety was through the roof. Looking at the bathroom door, he took a deep breath and opened it. The hallway was empty and quiet.

 _I guess I'll just go to my room_. He slowly walked towards it, excited about what was coming, yet extremely nervous too. _Why am I so nervous? I love Alex. Whatever happens tonight will be the best time of my life_. He tried reassuring himself, but he was still slightly shaking.

He approached the bedroom door and opened it slowly.

"I was beginning to worry Maggie, it took you a while."

Alex was sitting on his bed also with wet hair, a nude torso, and the other half under the covers. Seeing that green hair and sly smirk already made Magnus feel better, but his inexperience still worried him.

"To think that when we were in the tent, you got mad at me for not leaving when you were changing. And now here we are, basically naked in front of each other"

"Just get in the bed, Magnus."

He crawled in next to Alex. The next few hours were spent cuddling and loving each other. They both got over their nerves quickly, just like Hearth and Blitzen said, because being with the one you love is nothing to be nervous about.

 **A/N: :O oh my gods, I am sooo sorrryyyyyyy! Please enjoy this last chapter! I spent time throughout the semester to write it and I think it turned out okay. Just so it's clear, I don't do pottery and I've never written anything like this before, so I'm sorry if anything was off or weird, BUT I enjoyed writing this and imagining ;) what was happening. Again, I'm sorry about the long wait, but you guys are awesome for reading this far, THANK YOU!**


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